This week, I am very happy to present my second interview with the animal rights scholar Gary L. Francione, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University School of Law in New Jersey. He is also Visting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lincoln (UK). Professor Francione has been a vegan since 1982 and is well-known for having developed the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights. He is the author of many excellent books about animal rights theory, advocacy, and veganism.

In this interview, Professor Francione tells me about what happened in the 1980’s and 1990’s that led him to develop the Abolitionist Approach, and he speaks about how modern-day animal advocacy that does not hold veganism as a moral baseline perpetuates animal exploitation. Then we discuss why nonviolence is an important part of the Abolitionist Approach, why we shouldn’t bring nonhuman animals into existence to be our “pets”, and more. At the end of the interview, Professor Francione offers his advice for those who wish to work to bring about a vegan world.

After the interview, we'll hear the song "How Do I Go Vegan" by Gülce Özen Gürkan.

The essay that Professor Francione mentioned during the interview, "Reflections on Tom Regan and the Animal Rights Movement That Once Was", was published in Between the Species in 2018.

Professor Francione's websites can be found at https://abolitionistapproach.com and https://howdoigovegan.com.

The Always for Animal Rights blog can be found at https://alwaysforanimalrights.blogspot.com.